Oku Japan, the tour company specializing in rural Japan and soft adventure, has released a video sharing the importance of sustainable tourism and the positive impacts it can have on local communities, highlighting the company’s own mission in the region through the lens of local business owners.

Oku Japan is the only tour operator with a branch in Chikatsuyu, on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail. Since opening the branch in 2015, the company has deepened its ties with the surrounding community, supporting Japan’s ‘I-Turn’ movement, in which youth from rural areas who have moved to big cities for work are returning to their hometowns.

By making sustainability a core part of Oku Japan’s mission, not only can visitors continue to experience the beauty of the region and create bonds with locals, those locals will also see a multitude of benefits.